Unbelievable Crimes Volume One: Macabre Yet Unknown True Crime Stories: Unbelievable Crimes, #1

By Daniela Airlie

Step into some of the most heinous (yet relatively unknown) crimes ever committed and delve into twelve twisted tales of murder in Unbelievable Crimes.

 

From the deplorable abduction and imprisonment of young women by James Jamelske, who kept his victims in his basement, to the tale of charismatic charmer Charles Schmid who boasted about his savage murders, each story in this anthology dives into pure evil.

 

In one case, I'll take you back to 1993, to the city of Houston, where two teenage girls, Jennifer Ertman, and Elizabeth Peña, were brutally raped and murdered. This crime can only be described as barbaric and senseless, especially when you factor in the young ages of the killers.

 

I'll delve into the bizarre and twisted story of Carl Tanzler, a man who becomes fixated on a beautiful young woman. After her untimely death, he kept her as a mummified corpse in his home for years, with a genuinely inexplicable outcome.

 

You'll also be introduced to the gruesome story of Omaima Nelson, an Egyptian-American woman who killed her husband before cooking and eating parts of his body. 

 

While most people know about the incomprehensible acts of Ted Bundy or the wicked crimes of the "killer clown" John Wayne Gacy, there's an underbelly of true crime that has been left untouched over the years. These crimes had a fleeting news story or a 30-second snippet on a local news station and have since been long forgotten. I believe we should remember these crimes to ensure the victims - and their ordeals - don't get wiped from true crime history.

 

Discover the dark side of humanity as I delve into some of the most shocking and twisted little-known true crime stories in Unbelievable Crimes Volume One. To most, the senseless acts of violence and pure evil depicted in these cases are simply unimaginable. But, they're all somebody's reality.

 

Please note, as with all true crime content, this book contains details that cover real-life murders and violence.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Daniela Airlie
• Release date: Jan 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215273036

Book preview

The right of Daniela Airlie as the publisher and owner of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. No part of this publication may be reproduced whatsoever in any format without the prior written consent of the publisher. This book is for entertainment and informational purposes only.

Although research from various sources has gone into this book, neither the author nor the publisher will be held responsible for any inaccuracies. To the best of the knowledge of the author, all information within this publication is factually correct, derived from researching these cases thoroughly. The author may offer speculation and/or opinion throughout this book about the cases covered.

Prologue

The horrors that one human can inflict on another human is something that intrigues all of us true crime followers.

We read about crimes and watch documentaries that expose the horrific acts of brutality and depravity that people carry out on one another. It’s a morbid fascination, something we are drawn into learning about even if it makes us feel nauseous or uncomfortable. We don’t get drawn in for the same reasons we watch, say, horror movies or soap operas, for example. We are interested in true crime because the events truly happened. Often, horror movies are too far-fetched to be true. But true crime is just that - it’s real. And perpetrators of crimes, murders, and acts of depravity are just like us.

Of course, murderers and serious criminals may be wired differently, but the scary thing is, we can rarely tell. They can blend in with the rest of us, and they’re not always the introverted, isolated psychopaths the media often portrays them as. Murderers can be charismatic, likable, and downright believable. This is why I feel true crime is such an intriguing topic for us. It exposes the capability of human depravity, and it shines a light on the fact that it can happen to anyone - and it can also be anyone who carries it out.

We all know about the over hashed tale of Ted Bundy or the vile acts Jeffery Dahmer committed. There have been so many books and TV shows dedicated to these crimes it’s hard not to know about them. Some cases seem to have longevity and have documentary after documentary dedicated to retelling the story. While these crimes were undoubtedly horrifying, and I truly believe we should never forget the victims or their suffering, I would like to cast the spotlight on less-covered crimes that were just as abhorrent.

Before we begin, I’d like to offer a quick word of caution about some of the cases covered in this book. True crime is, by nature, an emotion-evoking topic, but some crimes are particularly brutal to hear about, including ones involving sexual assault, domestic abuse, or crimes involving children. This book touches on cases that involve these themes. With that said, let’s begin.

A Mother’s Worst Nightmare

Child killers are such a horrifying category of crime cases that there are a number of TV shows and documentaries dedicated to the topic. To imagine a child or a teenager feeling the urge to end another human’s life is almost beyond comprehension, but sadly, child homicide is a very real occurrence in true crime. We digest these tales with bated breath, hoping there’s an explanation behind a minor committing such atrocities as rape, extreme violence, and torture. Sometimes, it’s revealed the child was reenacting the violence and abuse they suffered at the hands of adults. Other times, brutal movies (not made for young eyes) have been blamed for a child carrying out horrific killings.

In the case I’m about to cover, I’ll confront the idea that a child carried out a murder for no other reason than for their own pleasure. To label a child as evil, to some at least, may be unthinkable, but let me tell you about the story of Paris Bennett and see how you would describe the motive behind the cruel murder of his 4-year-old sister.

Paris’ mother, Charity Lee, felt her world crash around her on February 5, 2007, when the police arrived at her workplace, Buffalo Wild Wings, on the outskirts of Abilene, Texas. The single parent of two hadn’t had the easiest of times bringing up her children, but she did the best she could. Despite being born into a relatively wealthy family, Charity had been through her fair share of turmoil in her life.

When she was young, her father died, and her mother was accused of the murder, although she was later acquitted. With her father gone, Charity was left with a mother who didn’t offer her much in the way of love or affection. Like a lot of children do, Charity tried to do whatever she could to please her cold parent, but nothing seemed to work. By the time she was 17, the teen was suffering from heroin addiction and a plethora of mental health struggles, and her mother had kicked her out of the family home.

Charity found herself living in a halfway house, where she managed to break away from the dark path she was heading down and got control of the hold heroin had over her. She was still suffering from depression, but in early 1993, she received some news that would help her overcome her battle with mental health problems: she was pregnant with her first child.

In late 1993, her baby boy was born. Charity named him Paris, and it was love instantly. Paris’ dad left the picture shortly after, leaving the boy’s upbringing solely up to Charity, who thrived at motherhood. Paris grew up to be a happy, funny, incredibly creative, and inquisitive child who excelled at drawing and creating things. He was also a certified genius with an IQ of 141.

In 2001, Charity found out she was expecting child number two with a new partner, and she was over the moon. The same can’t be said for Paris, however. He refused to acknowledge the imminent arrival of his sibling, much less show any excitement or curiosity towards the new family member. In fact, even just mentioning the baby would upset eight-year-old Paris.

When Ella was born in the spring of 2002, Paris’ once hostile feelings toward his sister seemingly evaporated. The once jealous, angry child displayed acts of love and adoration towards his baby sister, which was bound to have been a relief for Charity, who expected Paris’ coldness towards Ella to continue after her birth. It seemed as soon as he saw his tiny sister, Paris stepped up and became the perfect big brother: loving, protective, and willing to help take care of the newborn. This would have been a big help to Charity, who was again a single mother since her relationship with Ella’s dad had fizzled out.

By 2005, Charity moved her little family back to Texas to take care of her mother, who was battling cancer. After being clean for over a decade, the pressures of being a single parent and trying to get her promotions business up and running had taken their toll, and Charity found herself seeking out drugs. She went on a cocaine bender for six months, something 11-year-old Paris bore witness to. In a bid to get back on track, Charity took the family to Alabama to live with Ella’s dad, a move that didn’t last long. The kids were uprooted back to Texas to live with their grandmother. Charity and her mother still had a strained relationship, and drugs were still a constant in the mother-of-two’s life despite her attempts at getting clean.

Charity would later say that she felt this moment in Paris’ life was pivotal for him since she’d let him down and disappointed him. Perhaps she felt that this was why Paris began acting out, with one episode being especially concerning. While playing on their grandmother’s ranch, Ella and her friend were upset when Paris broke one of the toys they were playing with. Charity noticed her baby girl was crying, and after figuring out Paris had caused Ella’s distress, she reprimanded the young boy. This seemed to trigger something in Paris.

Instead of staying in time out like his mother told him to, Paris headed to the kitchen, grabbed a large knife, and raced away from the ranch in a highly emotional state. A member of staff who worked at the ranch noticed Paris running with the knife and informed his mother and grandmother, both of whom immediately set out looking for him. After a panicked search, Paris